Container with support skirt and inner chamber

ABSTRACT

A container assembly including a removable closure and a container which includes a chamber wall and a bottom attached to the chamber wall to form a cavity in which product is contained. An outer surface of the chamber wall includes a first attachment connector near the upper end of the chamber wall and which removably engages with a mating second attachment connector formed on the closure. A shoulder extends radially outward from the chamber wall at a point below the first attachment connector, and an outer support skirt extends downward from a distal end of the shoulder. The outer support skirt surrounds at least a substantial portion of the outer surface of the chamber wall and, when placed on a surface, the support skirt rests on the surface and the bottom of the cavity rests on or is spaced apart from the surface.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to and claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application 62/693,116, filed on Jul. 2, 2018, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

A container assembly with a removable closure and a container, the container having an outer support skirt.

BACKGROUND

In general, containers for various products, included foodstuffs and medications, have consistently had a narrow neck that tapered outward to an outer container wall. The result is a stepped interior that was very inefficient for storage since it resulted in wasted volume.

In addition, in most containers, the closure is either larger or smaller in diameter than the remainder of the container. As such, conventional containers and closures make use of tamper evidence labeling difficult.

A need therefore exists for an improved container assembly.

SUMMARY

A container assembly is disclosed that includes a container and a removable closure. The closure includes a top and a sidewall attached to and depending downward from the top. The sidewall substantially circumscribing the top and has an inner surface and an outer surface. The closure is configured to attach to the container.

The container includes a chamber for containing a product, the chamber has a chamber wall and a bottom attached to the chamber wall. The chamber wall extends downward from an upper end to a lower end where chamber wall attaches to the bottom. The chamber wall and bottom form a cavity in which product is contained. The chamber wall has an inside surface located in the cavity and an outside surface located outside the cavity.

The outer surface of the chamber wall includes a first attachment connector which is formed at or near the upper end of the chamber wall. The first attachment connector removably engages with a mating second attachment connector formed on the closure. A shoulder extends radially outward from the chamber wall at a point below the first attachment connector. An outer support skirt extends downward from a distal end of the shoulder. The outer support skirt surrounds at least a substantial portion of the outer surface of the chamber wall. The support skirt has a length dimension from the shoulder to its distal end that is at least approximately the same as a length as the chamber wall from the shoulder to the bottom such that, when placed on a surface, the distal end of the support skirt rests on the surface and the bottom of the cavity rests on or is spaced apart from the surface. As such, the skirt provides support for the container. There is a space between the chamber wall and the outer skirt at the bottom for permitting the container to be stacked on another container.

In an embodiment the sidewall of the closure is cylindrical in shape with the outer surface having an outer diameter and the inner surface having an inner diameter, and the chamber wall is substantially cylindrical in shape with an outer diameter and an inner diameter.

Preferably the outside diameter of the skirt at its upper end is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the closure. A tamper-evident label may be attached to an outer surface of the closure and an outer surface of the skirt such that the label will be severed or torn when the closure is twisted relative to the container.

The shoulder and support skirt may be formed at 90 degree angles to one another so as to result in the support skirt being substantially vertical.

The projection of the shoulder from the chamber wall preferably results in a space or gap between the chamber wall and the support skirt.

The shoulder preferably projects from the outer surface of the chamber wall a sufficient distance to result in the support skirt having an outer diameter that is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the sidewall of the closure.

In an embodiment, the first and second attachment connectors are mating threads, one thread formed on an inner surface of the closure and the other formed on an outer surface of the chamber wall.

In an embodiment, the second attachment connector is a protrusion that extends or projects inward from an inner surface of the closure and the first attachment connector is a protrusion that extends or projects outward from an outer surface of the chamber wall, the second attachment connector is positioned and sized to engage with a lower side of the first attachment connector.

In an embodiment, the closure is a child resistant closure that includes an outer cap and an inner locking cap. The outer cap includes the top and the sidewall. The inner locking cap is located beneath the top and within the sidewall. The inner locking cap includes an inner top and an inner sidewall which extends downward from the inner top. The inner locking cap is configured to, upon activation by a user, lock to the outer cap so as to rotate in combination therewith, and when not activated by the user, the outer cap is rotatable relative to the inner locking cap.

In an embodiment, the outer cap includes locking tabs formed on an inner surface of the top that engage with tabs formed on an outer surface of the inner top when the outer cap is pressed down on the inner locking cap, and wherein the shoulder is positioned so as to provide sufficient room for the movement of the outer cap downward relative to the inner locking cap when the closure is on the container.

The chamber wall is preferably cylindrical and the diameter of the chamber wall includes a taper inward. The taper preferably varies from the upper end of the chamber wall to the lower end of the chamber wall.

The container may include standoff ribs formed near the bottom on an outer surface of the chamber wall which protrude outward.

The foregoing and other features of the invention and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in light of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, as illustrated in the accompanying figures. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modifications in various respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and the description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, the drawings show a form of the invention which is presently preferred. However, it should be understood that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container assembly according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional perspective view of the container assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a container of the container assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the container of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the container of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the container of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the container of FIG. 3, taken along lines 4A-4A in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the container of FIG. 3 in a stacked configuration.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the container assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a shorter container of FIG. 3 in a stacked configuration.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the shorter container of FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

A container assembly 10 is disclosed that includes a container 12 and a removable closure 14. The closure 14 includes a top 16 and a sidewall 18 attached to and depending downward from the top 16. The sidewall 18 circumscribing the top 16 and having an inner surface 18 ₁ and an outer surface 18 ₀. In an embodiment, the sidewall 18 is cylindrical in shape with the outer surface 18 _(O) having an outer diameter OD1 and the inner surface 18 _(I) having an inner diameter ID1. The sidewall 18 extends downward from the top 16 a distance of D1. The sidewall 18 is adapted to attach to the container as discussed herein. In one embodiment, the outer diameter OD1 is approximately between 2.625 inches and 2.782 inches and the sidewall dimension D1 is approximately 0.532 inches.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the closure 14 may be a child resistant closure 60 that includes an outer cap 62 and an inner locking cap 64. The outer cap 62 is similar to the closure 14 with a top 66, and sidewall 68 extending downward from the top 66. The inner locking cap 64 includes a top 70 and a sidewall 72 which extends downward from the top 70. The inner locking cap 64 fits within the outer cap 62. The child resistant closure 60 is generally conventional and may be similar to the child resistant closures described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,761, the disclosure of which is included herein by reference in its entirety.

The container 12 includes a chamber 20 for containing a product. The chamber 20 includes a chamber wall 22 and a bottom 24 attached to the chamber wall 22. The chamber wall 22 extends downward from an upper end 22 _(U) to a lower end 22 _(L) where chamber wall 22 attaches to the bottom 24. In an embodiment, the chamber wall is substantially cylindrical in shape with an outer diameter Z1 and an inner diameter Z2. In one embodiment, the outer diameter Z1 is between approximately 2.350 inches and approximately 2.625 inches, and the inner diameter Z2 is between approximately 2.196 inches and approximately 2.495 inches The chamber wall 22 and bottom 24 form a cavity 26 in which the product is contained. The chamber wall 22 has an inside surface 22 _(I) located in the cavity 26 and an outside surface 22 _(O) located outside the cavity 26.

The sidewall 18 of the closure 14 attaches to the chamber wall 22 of the container 12. More particularly, the outer surface 22 _(O) of the chamber wall 22 includes a first attachment connector 30 which is formed at or near the upper end 22 _(U) of the chamber wall 22. The first attachment connector 30 engages with a mating or matching second attachment connector 32 formed on the inner surface 18 _(I) of the sidewall 18. In one embodiment, the first and second attachment connectors are mating threads, one thread formed on the inner surface 18 _(I) of the sidewall 18 and the other formed on the outer surface 22 _(O) of the chamber wall 22. Alternatively, the second attachment connector 32 may be a protrusion (such as a bead, flange or rim) that extends or projects inward from the inner surface 18 _(I) of the sidewall 18 and the first attachment connector 30 may be a protrusion (such as a bead, flange or rim) that extends or projections outward from the outer surface 22 _(O) of the chamber wall 22. In this embodiment, the second attachment connector 32 is positioned and sized to snap onto or otherwise engage with the lower side of the first attachment connector 30 thus allowing the closure 14 to snap onto the upper end 22 _(U) of the chamber wall 22.

The container 12 includes an outer support skirt 40 that surrounds a substantial portion of the outer surface 22 _(O) of the chamber wall 22. More particularly, as shown in the figures, a shoulder 42 is attached to or more preferably formed integral with and extends from the chamber wall 22 at a point below the first attachment connector 30. In an embodiment, the shoulder 42 is located a distance X from the upper end 22 _(U) of the chamber wall 22, which is between about 0.548 inches and about 0.553 inches when the first attachment connector is a thread. This provides a sufficient amount of space for the threads to engage. If the first and second attachment connectors 30, 32 are beads, the shoulder 42 may be located closer to the upper end 22 _(U). The outer support skirt 40 is formed integral with and extends downward from a distal end 42 _(E) of the shoulder 42. The shoulder 42 and support skirt 40 are preferably formed at 90 degree angles to one another, although other angles are possible so as to result in the support skirt 40 being substantially vertical. In the illustrated embodiments, the support skirt is cylindrical. However, it is contemplated that the support skirt 40 could square or any polygonal shape.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 9, the support skirt 40 have a length L1 that is sized to be approximately the same as or slightly larger than the length L2 of a portion of the chamber wall 22 such that, when placed on a surface, the bottom 40 _(B) of the support skirt 40 rests on the surface. The bottom 24 of the cavity 26 may also rest on the surface, but is preferably slightly off the surface. This allows the skirt 40 to provide support for the container 12. In an embodiment, the length L1 is approximately between 1.463 inches and 2.447 inches. The length L2 would be the same as of slightly less. While the skirt 40 is shown uniform in length, it is also contemplated that the length L1 of the skirt could vary such that the bottom 40 _(B) forms a plurality of legs that rest on the surface. For example, the bottom could have a wavy edge to provide an ornamentally pleasing appearance, while still supporting the container.

As shown, the projection of the shoulder 42 from the chamber wall 22 results in a space or gap 44 between the chamber wall 22 and the support skirt 40. The length Y that the shoulder 42 projects from the outer surface 22 _(O) of the chamber wall 22 is sized so as to result in the support skirt 40 having an outer diameter OD2 that is substantially the same as the outer diameter OD1 of the sidewall 18 of the closure 14. In one embodiment, the length Y of the shoulder 42 is approximately 0.216 inches. As such, when the closure 14 is attached to the container 12, the sidewall 18 and outer skirt 40 are substantially aligned, thus giving the visual impression of a continuous, substantially contiguous outer surface of the container assembly (with a slight gap between the closure and the container.) In addition, the spacing between the chamber wall 22 and the outer skirt 40 is open 44 at the bottom, thereby permitting the containers to be stacked as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. To facilitate separation, the chamber wall 22 may have a slight taper inward from its upper end 22 _(U) to its lower end 22 _(L). Alternatively, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 9, only a lower portion 46 of the chamber wall 22 may include a taper. The taper may vary from top to bottom. For example, in an embodiment, the top of the chamber wall 22 has a slight taper, such as 0.5 to 1 degree, and the bottom has a greater taper, such as 8 degrees. The taper would be selected so that the chamber wall 22 of one bottle fits into the chamber wall of another bottle when stacked. The taper would be adjusted to provide a defined volume depending on the use for the container.

The shoulder can be positioned so as to provide sufficient room for the incorporation of the push-down closures necessary for child resistant closures. See, for example, FIG. 1A.

The present invention provides several key benefits. The container 12 is constructed such that is has an “open bottom”, i.e., a gap or spacing 44 between the support skirt 40 and the chamber wall 22, for stacking. In addition, having the outside diameter of the skirt 40 at its upper end 40 _(U) substantially match the outer diameter of the closure 14 provides a visually pleasing flush sided look to the complete package. This concept also facilitates the use of labels, such as tax stickers and tamper-evident labels. The label would extend downward covering a portion of the sidewall 18 of the closure 14 and skirt 40 such that the label will be severed or torn when the closure 14 is twisted relative to the container 12. The torn label provides visual evidence of tampering or access to the container contents, thus providing tamper-evidence protection.

In addition, since the skirt 40 is not part of the storage portion of the container 12, the container has a generally smooth cavity 26 with no internal steps in the chamber walls 22, thus providing no impediment to dispensing of the contents.

The present invention allows the containers 12 to be stacked after molding and before filling, thus facilitating use in the assembly and shipping processes. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the container 12 preferably includes standoff ribs 48 formed near the bottom 24, preferably on the tapered portion, which protrude outward and are positioned to contact the upper end 22 _(U) of the chamber wall of the container 12 that is stacked below the first container. In addition, as discussed above, the lower portion of the chamber wall 22 preferably tapers slightly so as to fit into the upper portion of the container 12 in which it is stacked. This facilitates removal of stacked containers.

A lug 50 may be formed on the bottom 24 of the container 12 and protrude downward to provide for orientation of the containers in labeling or decorating equipment.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. The term “connected” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within, attached to, or joined together, even if there is something intervening.

The recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein.

All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not impose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. The various embodiments and elements can be interchanged or combined in any suitable manner as necessary. Thus any features described in the specification and dependent claims should be understood as being useful in and combinable with other embodiments and other claims.

No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. There is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. 

1. A container assembly comprising: a container; and a removable closure including a top and a sidewall attached to and depending downward from the top, the sidewall substantially circumscribing the top and having an inner surface and an outer surface, the closure being configured to attach to the container; wherein the container includes a chamber for containing a product, the chamber having a chamber wall and a bottom attached to the chamber wall, the chamber wall extends downward from an upper end to a lower end where chamber wall attaches to the bottom, the chamber wall and bottom form a cavity in which product is contained, the chamber wall has an inside surface located in the cavity and an outside surface located outside the cavity; wherein the outer surface of the chamber wall includes a first attachment connector which is formed at or near the upper end of the chamber wall, the first attachment connector removably engages with a mating second attachment connector formed on the closure; and wherein a shoulder extends radially outward from the chamber wall at a point below the first attachment connector, an outer support skirt extends downward from a distal end of the shoulder, the outer support skirt surrounds at least a substantial portion of the outer surface of the chamber wall, the support skirt has a length dimension from the shoulder to its distal end that is at least approximately the same as a length of the chamber wall from the shoulder to the bottom such that, when placed on a surface, the distal end of the support skirt rests on the surface and the bottom of the cavity rests on or is spaced apart from the surface, whereby the skirt provides support for the container, and wherein there is a space between the chamber wall and the outer skirt at the bottom, thereby permitting the containers to be stacked.
 2. The container assembly of claim 1, wherein the sidewall of the closure is cylindrical in shape with the outer surface having an outer diameter and the inner surface having an inner diameter, and wherein the chamber wall is substantially cylindrical in shape with an outer diameter and an inner diameter.
 3. The container assembly of claim 2, wherein the outer diameter of the skirt at its upper end is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the closure, further comprising a tamper-evident label attached to an outer surface of the closure and an outer surface of the skirt such that the label will be severed or torn when the closure is twisted relative to the container.
 4. The container assembly of claim 2, wherein the shoulder and support skirt are formed at 90 degree angles to one another so as to result in the support skirt being substantially vertical.
 5. The container assembly of claim 2, wherein the projection of the shoulder from the chamber wall results in the space between the chamber wall and the support skirt extending the full length of the support skirt.
 6. The container assembly of claim 5, wherein the shoulder projects from the outer surface of the chamber wall a sufficient distance to result in the support skirt having an outer diameter that is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the sidewall of the closure.
 7. The container assembly of claim 2, wherein the first and second attachment connectors are mating threads, one thread formed on an inner surface of the closure and the other formed on an outer surface of the chamber wall.
 8. The container assembly of claim 2, wherein the second attachment connector is a protrusion that extends or projects inward from an inner surface of the closure and the first attachment connector is a protrusion that extends or projects outward from an outer surface of the chamber wall, the second attachment connector is positioned and sized to engage with a lower side of the first attachment connector.
 9. The container assembly of claim 2, wherein the closure is a child resistant closure that includes an outer cap and an inner locking cap, the outer cap includes the top and the sidewall, and wherein the inner locking cap is located beneath the top and within the sidewall, the inner locking cap includes an inner top and an inner sidewall which extends downward from the inner top, wherein the inner locking cap is configured to, upon activation by a user, lock to the outer cap so as to rotate in combination therewith, and when not activated by the user, the outer cap is rotatable relative to the inner locking cap.
 10. The container assembly of claim 9, wherein the outer cap includes locking tabs formed on an inner surface of the top that engage with tabs formed on an outer surface of the inner top when the outer cap is pressed down on the inner locking cap, and wherein the shoulder is positioned so as to provide sufficient room for the movement of the outer cap downward relative to the inner locking cap when the closure is on the container.
 11. The container assembly of claim 1, wherein chamber wall is cylindrical and wherein the diameter of the chamber wall includes a taper inward.
 12. The container assembly of claim 11, wherein the taper varies from the upper end of the chamber wall to the lower end of the chamber wall.
 13. The container assembly of claim 2, wherein the container includes standoff ribs formed near the bottom on an outer surface of the chamber wall which protrude outward.
 14. A container assembly comprising: a container; and a removable closure including a top and a sidewall attached to and depending downward from the top, the sidewall substantially circumscribing the top and having an inner surface and an outer surface, the closure being configured to attach to the container; wherein the container includes a chamber for containing a product, the chamber having a cylindrical chamber wall that tapers inward and a bottom attached to the chamber wall, the chamber wall extends downward from an upper end to a lower end where chamber wall attaches to the bottom, the chamber wall and bottom form a cavity in which product is contained, the chamber wall has an inside surface located in the cavity and an outside surface located outside the cavity; wherein the outer surface of the chamber wall includes a first attachment connector which is formed at or near the upper end of the chamber wall, the first attachment connector removably engages with a mating second attachment connector formed on the closure; wherein a shoulder extends radially outward from the chamber wall at a point below the first attachment connector, an outer support skirt extends downward from a distal end of the shoulder, the projection of the shoulder from the chamber wall resulting in a space or gap between the chamber wall and the support skirt, the outer support skirt surrounds at least a substantial portion of the outer surface of the chamber wall, the support skirt has a length dimension from the shoulder to its distal end at least at a multiple locations that is at least approximately the same as a length of the chamber wall from the shoulder to the bottom such that, when placed on a surface, the distal end of the support skirt at such locations rests on the surface and the bottom of the cavity rests on or is spaced apart from the surface, whereby the skirt provides support for the container, and wherein the space between the chamber wall and the outer skirt at the bottom permits multiple containers to be stacked; wherein the closure is a child resistant closure that includes an outer cap and an inner locking cap, the outer cap includes the top and the sidewall, and wherein the inner locking cap is located beneath the top and within the sidewall, the inner locking cap includes an inner top and an inner sidewall which extends downward from the inner top, wherein the inner locking cap is configured to, upon activation by a user, lock to the outer cap so as to rotate in combination therewith, and when not activated by the user, the outer cap is rotatable relative to the inner locking cap; and wherein the outer cap includes locking tabs formed on an inner surface of the top that engage with tabs formed on an outer surface of the inner top when the outer cap is pressed down on the inner locking cap, and wherein the shoulder is positioned so as to provide sufficient room for the movement of the outer cap downward relative to the inner locking cap when the closure is on the container.
 15. The container assembly of claim 14, wherein the sidewall of the closure is cylindrical in shape with the outer surface having an outer diameter and the inner surface having an inner diameter, and wherein the chamber wall is substantially cylindrical in shape with an outer diameter and an inner diameter.
 16. The container assembly of claim 15, wherein the outer diameter of the skirt at its upper end is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the closure, further comprising a tamper-evident label attached to an outer surface of the closure and an outer surface of the skirt such that the label will be severed or torn when the closure is twisted relative to the container.
 17. The container assembly of claim 15, wherein the shoulder and support skirt are formed at 90 degree angles to one another so as to result in the support skirt being substantially vertical.
 18. The container assembly of claim 14, wherein the shoulder projects from the outer surface of the chamber wall a sufficient distance to result in the support skirt having an outer diameter that is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the sidewall of the closure. 